A Fox in Wolves Clothing
by Lightspire
Summary: Ranma/Whitewolf The Wrecking Crew have seen the veil, but Akane's ancestry and Ukyou's secret past will take them fully into a World of Darkness.
1. Prologue

_**A Fox in Wolves Clothing**_

**Prologue**

**Written by Lightspire**

Disclaimer: The World of Darkness is the property of White Wolf Game Studio. Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am making no profit off the distribution of this story.

In a heavily wooded area of one of the Tokyo areas rare large parks Lay a girl smiling as she slept among the trees. Her short, black hair shined with a sheen that made one think it may also have a hint of blue. The clothing she had was completely ripped at the seams. They were once pajamas, yellow with little ducks patterned over the light material. The girl appeared to be dreaming as she dog paddled in her sleep, almost like a dog would. As the sun slowly rose in the east and light hit her eyelids, she slowly opened one eye, her dream over.

Akane groggily awoke, groaning as she rolled around on the soft grass. The sweet smells of nature filled her senses and put a smile of contentment on her face that she hadn't known for a while, now. It took her a few minutes to actually realize that this wasn't where she was supposed to be waking up.

Her eyes shot open as she bolted upright, taking in her surroundings. She seemed to be a park, somewhere. The sun was peaking over the horizon, and her pajamas were in tatters, barely concealing her modesty. She took a moment to think about how she might have ended up here, with her night-clothes ruined. Fighting off her panic, she looked over herself. No bruising, no scratches. Other than her clothes, she seemed perfectly fine. Actually, she felt better than fine. She felt strong, here. She felt she could actually smell everything around her, and it filled her with peace to be in nature.

Thinking back to the night before, she couldn't think of any reason for her to be here. She had gone to sleep at her normal bed-time and so far as she knew, slept well. Ranma was away on a training trip with his father, so unfortunately, she couldn't blame him. She hadn't been kidnaped, it seemed. She just woke up in the middle of a forested park, like nothing was wrong. With her clothes ripped and torn, though it didn't look like they were cut, or ripped apart for any nefarious purposes... The more she thought about it, the more angry she got at the lack of answers. It simply didn't make any sense!

Shaking her head to clear it, she noticed the sunlight coming in through the trees. Kasumi would be up soon. Considering her state of undress, she'd have to make it home before that happened. Sneaking through the underbrush, she looked for a path, or a sign telling her where she was. After some searching she came across some discarded clothing near an old blanket surrounded by beer cans. Sneering at the thought of what they had been taken off for, she looked around and listened for the owners. Only the chirping of birds answered her silent queries.

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, she hastily grabbed a shirt and pants and beat it out of the area, happy to give a light punishment to the perverts of the park. She was half tempted to track them down for littering in such a pristine place, but time was working against her. A few minutes later she was wearing a very tight blouse and pants that would fit her father. But they did a much better job than the scraps that were left of her pajamas. She sighed as she threw the tatters aside. She'd really loved that ducky pattern.

After a while, she came out of the large park, and found her bearings. She had been in a park that was about a two hour walk from her home. She occasionally jogged to it on her free days. Deciding she could use a nice jog about now, she started her run home, certain that her family would know what happened last night. The only thing she had to figure out would be how to explain the clothes. She'd been pretty fortunate they were there, though she would be very happy to have a nice long antiseptic bath once she got home. Who knew what kind of wierd diseases those perverts might have?

As she ran, constantly grabbing at her ill fitting pants, she continued thinking about what happened, or what she remembered. She simply couldn't think of any reason for her to have ended up out there. While the park was nice, there wasn't anything particularly nice about it, besides it's size. The running, however seemed to make her remember this strange dream she had. She'd been running in it, just trying to get away from the city. There so many spiders there! She couldn't see them, but she knew that there were spiders everywhere, just looking to wrap her up in their webs. But she knew she'd be safe in the forest. These spiders didn't go near the forest. They liked the city. Akane couldn't think ofany reason for what this dream might mean... But as she ran, she figured that it might have been her subconscious telling her what was going on. Perhaps she'd been carried away by a giant spider and taken to the park? Ever since Ranma arrived, wierd things like that happened all the time... Though it wouldn't explain why she woke up and there was no spider creature...

dotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdot.

She sighed as she left sight of the park. It wasn't that the park felt safe. It just felt...Right. She no longer felt like being in the city. As she jogged past houses and other buildings, she couldn't help but feel a bit restrained. The running made it better, though. She was free enough to run and fight. And she even felt stronger than ever, now! Like just underneath the surface there was this entirely new creature, ready to burst out and rend apart anyone or anything that got in her way! Maybe she'd do some kata after her bath at home.

It was a bright and early morning as Mitsune Yamazaki walked into the concourse of Narita airport. She was dressed like any average twenty year old American college student. Worn jeans, faux leather jacket and a white t-shirt simply saying 'NO-ONE KNOWS I'M A LESBIAN' in large, black letters. She wore birkenstocks with no socks, and had burgundy hair with dark orange highlights in a short, but cute style. Taking a deep breath, she reveled in the busy goings-on about her. It was good to be back. She'd been away from her homeland for the better part of three years, traveling the globe. She was glad to have finally tracked her prey down to a place where she had some connections, for once. She was actually quite surprised to find out that an old friend was living in Nerima. She'd have to go there and catch up on old times, once this was all finished.

With a certain glint in her eyes and a mischievous smile on her face, she headed out to the baggage claim and fetched her old duffel, thinking about all the fun she could have. She could really use a bit of a break, anyway. All this hunting and killing was really putting on a crimp on her care-free lifestyle! She swore it was enough to make a girl go mad!

END PROLOGUE

Author's Note

I apologize for such a short prologue... I suppose it's more of a teaser than anything. This is my first fanfic, and I haven't written in a while, so I hope it at least holds up to snuff, if not now, then as later chapters come along. Anyway, let me know what you think, C & C is always welcome.


	2. Chapter one

**A Fox in Wolves Clothing**

**Chapter 1**

"Bwee, bwee, bwee!" Ryouga ran through the streets of Nerima in the dead of night, screaming his little piggy head off. He figured it would be the right thing to do, considering the fact that he'd woken up staring into the eyes of a large, hungry looking wolf.

The next thing he knew, he was running for his life, lest his worst fear about his curse come to fruition. He'd bounded out of the area faster than any piglet had the right run. He'd been in this type of situation before. Being hunted down by hungry wild animals in the dead of night after he'd gone to bed.

He desperately searched for a river to break the trail of his scent, but none seemed to be forthcoming. He'd be running for a little while, he supposed. On the bright side, perhaps he could use a good marathon run. It'd be great for his stamina, and he did want to see how well he could stand up against Ranma after the incident in China. Perhaps he could make it into a game... If he was running for his life from a big wolf, he might as well turn it into training, right?

Rapidly thinking over all of these things, he narrowly dodged cars and trucks as he ran across a random highway. He didn't want to think about the thing that must be chasing him... What was it again? The details seemed to get fuzzy for him, like some large curtain was covering up his thoughts. Was it a large dog? But wasn't he in Akane's room? What would a dog be doing up there?

He came to a quick halt as he went over this new information. Yes, he'd been in Akane's room, watching over her in case Ranma's 'training trip' had only been a ploy to be able to take advantage of Akane while everyone thought he was out of town. At the thought of protecting Akane, his mind cleared a bit. Yes, he was protecting Akane from a potential Ranma and he'd ...nodded off during his vigil. When he'd woken up, there was a giant wolf licking it's chops staring straight at him. Now he was no stranger to fighting off wolves, giant pigs, etc. Even while in his cursed form. He was tough and strong enough to ram himself into their foreheads a few times and make them think twice. But for some reason, the only thing he could think to do at the time was run away, especially as a pig. And at the sight of this giant, hulking black-furred creature, he'd nearly piddled all over himself... Thinking for a moment on how to console his wounded pride, he decided it must have been some type of demon... Yes, that was it! It must have been some sort of demon wolf! Yes, that's the only way he would have run out of Akane's room like that! Happy with his delusion, he was about to go along his merry way to find Ranma and kill him for allowing such a thing to be in Akane's bedroom. Again, Ryouga paused to think about that...

As the gears in his addled mind continued putting the pieces together, he cocked his head to the side and squinched his little piglet eyes in contemplation, once more considering all the angles about the situation.

He had been in Akane's room. He was there to keep her safe. Then there was a wolf demon in the room, and he took off... Now... What was a wolf demon doing in Akane's room? For that matter, where was Akane?

Ryouga's eyes bulged to nearly three times their size as he realized he'd failed completely in his own mission. Akane! With a demon wolf! And he'd ran much like that no-good, cure denying Ranma!

"Bwee!" He squeeled as he immediately turned to the right and made a mad dash towards Hokkaido. He had to get back to Akane!

dotdotdotdotdot.

Akane breathed a sigh of relief as she finally made it to her homes front door. She was actually pretty tired from her run. Having to hold up her pants and ignore the constrictions on her rib cage from the tight blouse didn't make for a 'nice, easy jog'. Not to mention the funny looks she'd received from early morning commuters and fellow joggers. It was downright embarrassing. But at least she was home. All she wanted to do right now was sit back and relax in a nice, hot bath.

"I'm home.." She quietly stated, hoping no-one was awake yet. Her hopes became dashed, however, as she passed through the living on the way to the stairs. There was her family, sitting around the dining table, looks of surprise and elation on their faces. Soun was the first to speak up as he was instantly upon Akane and nearly crushed his daughter in a fierce hug.

"Oh, happy day!" He cried out as tears poured down his cheeks. "My daughter's returned home to us, safe and sound!"

Akane broke out of the embrace and raised her eyebrow at her fathers antics.

"Out having a little adventure without Ranma, for once? I'm surprised, Akane. Usually you don't rescue_ yourself..." _Nabiki droned in her usual lackadaisical fashion. Though she had been pretty worried, by now she was also very tired, and Akane was safe. So squashing her worries back into the little hidy hole that she kept them, she thought of ways to punish her sister for such uncomfortable feelings that were wrought upon her. Perhaps she'd charge her extra the next time her sister needed something.

Akane shifted in her impromptu outfit, frowning a little at Nabiki's words.

"I don't need _Ranma_ to constantly save me, thank you very much... Besides, nothing happened... I just woke up in a park a few miles away..."

"Mmhmm... And why exactly are you dressed like a homeless person?" Nabiki continued, her curiosity demanding answers.

"Look Nabiki, I'm fine! My clothes were a little torn from going through the underbrush, and I found these by some bushes... Now if you'll EXCUSE ME, I'd like to go wash up and take a bath!"

With that, she stormed upstairs and went straight into the bathroom, sloughing of her ill-gotten articles and quickly got to scrubbing the essence of 'pervert' off of her skin.

It did cheer her up to think about what that couple ended up doing for clothing, though. She hoped the _**boy**_ who'd done the nasty ended up giving the girl his shirt and walking home in HIS underwear. If not, then... Well, he'd be sorry! Akane thoroughly ignored the fact that she had no idea who the boy was, or that she didn't know for certain what happened to them already, and continued with her fuming.

While keeping the thoughts of bashing perverts in her head, she rinsed herself off and slipped into the hot bath water, letting the water do it's intended work on her muscles, slowly relaxing them. But as she sat, she couldn't help but think more about what happened. Her family apparently didn't have any idea about what happened last night. Maybe she'd been possessed. Or sleepwalking. And her dream. It kind of still haunted her a bit even as she unwound in the trusty bath-water. She could swear there were spiders all over the place. It seemed pretty silly, of course. She knew there weren't any giant spiders about. And anyway, spiders were generally good for getting rid of other pesky bugs, so why be so worried? She'd seen worse just by being kidnapped so many times. Chuckling at herself, she just let her mind wander back to thoughts of the forest. How nice it felt with the grass and trees. Basking in her new fantasy, she closed her eyes and practically melted into the water.

Meanwhile, down in the living room the rest of the Tendous were having a discussion.

"Oh my! She certainly didn't seem to be too happy... I hope her little adventure wasn't too much for her..."

Soun began crying at this, shaking his hand at some imaginary figment. "Oh, my poor little girl is unable to handle herself... Where's that boy Ranma when you need him!?"

Nabiki sighed as she took a drink of her green tea.

"Really, Daddy, calm down. Akane seems fine, and if not, I'll find out about it later. Whatever happened last night to disturb P-chan so badly couldn't have been that bad if Akane made it home safe and sound..." Though Soun calmed down a bit at this, Nabiki herself was attempting to figure out what situation was most probable for her sister to have been in. After hearing the little pig freak out and make a bee line through a couple of walls on it's way out of the house (Nabiki made a mental note on that particularly interesting fact), the only thing that was amiss was Akane. No sign of struggle, though her door to the little patio outside her room was open... All they'd heard was the pig, a loud growl, and then... nothing.

"Well, I'm just glad she returned all in one piece. With all the exicetement around here, I'm beginning to think someone may get hurt in the future! Though now that Akane's gotten through her own adventure, I think I'll make a special breakfast to celebrate! I can't wait to hear more about what happened! Perhaps she was taken by some misguided ghost..." Kasumi continued chatting in this manner for a bit, listing different proposals before humming quietly as she rushed off to the kitchen, losing herself in the mundane pleasures of busy housework.

Nabiki rolled her eyes. That's her older sister... Miss Denial. She had a feeling something was up, and unfortunately as kasumi alluded to, in Nerima there was no telling what it could have been. Happosai was away trailing Ranma and Genma on their training trip... But that still left Tatewaki, Shampoo, Ukyou, or even Gosunkugi... Ukyou didn't use magic, and Tatewaki usually preferred the direct method of getting attention. If it was Shampoo, Akane would probably be cursing over 'that underdressed bimbo', or something, so that left the Amazon out. If it was Cologne, well, she doubted Akane would even be back...

Shaking her head as she took another sip of tea, Nabiki gave up for the moment. The most likely reason was that it was some sort of mischief caused by Ranma, like always. She'd just have to interrogate him once he got back. A small nudge inside her gut, though, gave her the feeling that whatever happened, it wasn't good. And it certainly wasn't over. After all... Ranma hadn't saved her, yet.

dotdotdotdotdotdot.

Mitsune smiled to herself as she entered the small apartment in Nerima. It was a lot smaller than her old place in Osaka, and it would be probably be easier to run things from there. But her prey didn't seem too keen on visiting old haunts. It was fine by her. Nobody wants to be surrounded by the memories of the one that your hunting down to kill. And even though this place was smaller, it would do just fine. One bedroom, a kitchenette, even a bath! Sure, it hadn't been used for years, and frankly looked like it was falling apart a little. But with todays rates, it was really an excellent find! She really should thank her great aunt for setting her up with such a nice place on short notice. She'll have to do that tomorrow when she meets her for afternoon tea.

Looking at her watch, she took note of the time. Nine AM. She hadn't slept for nearly twenty hours, now. Though she was pretty tired, she didn't want to sleep so early in the day. She had a lot of things to do and the sooner she adapted to the time-zone, the better. After dumping her duffel in the 'mistress' bedroom, as she now deemed it, she grabbed a hold of her backpack and headed out the door. She only had her aunt's memories to depend on when it came to Tokyo in general, and she needed to get her bearings.

As she headed out into the concrete jungle, she considered all the things she would need for her new HQ... A table, a futon, a cork board for listing clips and sightings on a map like you see in all of those cool cop shows... She almost hoped she'd have the time to actually use it. But she planned on this being her last stop, and wearied of this particular chase. It should be finished quickly. If not for the sake of her fallen mentor, then for her own sanity, at least! Trying to deal with western shapechangers was quite aggravating.

Thinking upon that, she stood still and looked to the heavens as she silently made an oath to herself. If she had to go to ONE MORE COUNTRY, and deal with one more pack of insufferable, stuck up were-wolves who didn't care who she was or what tribe she'd been adopted into, she'd just die! It was as simple as that! It was difficult enough dealing with them with her sifu around, but without her, she was treated like one of those poor, dejected metis... Quite frustrating!

She continued along her way as her thoughts strayed back to her previous adventures, her eyebrows raising a little as she decided it wasn't all _that _bad... After all, the Furies still accepted her, if grudgingly. Especially once she mentioned her moniker. Also that nice homeless tribe would chat her up now and then... Then again, they'll chat with anything... and they smelled.

After properly crinkling her nose at the memories of those associations, she shook her head and got back to business. She was going to fulfill her current shopping needs and continue on her quest. And that is exactly what she did, keeping her mind entirely on her current mission and the requirements thereof. That is, until she passed by the motorcycle shop, anyway.

As she looked upon the new, pristine bikes all lined up in a row, a certain glint formed in her eye as her face lit up like Christmas morning.

"Ooh... Shiny!"

dotdotdotdotdotdot.

Ranma was rather tired as she trudged back towards the Tendo dojo. She'd left her father at the camping site as he drunk off his late night celebrations of a trip well accomplished. She smirked as she imagined the look on the old man's face when he realized she'd left the cleanup to him.

She heard her stomach growling as she passed near Ucchan's, her favorite place for free eats. Even though she'd had a decent breakfast, that was some time ago, and her stomach was ready for lunch. Though she was a little apprehensive of entering the restaurant of the girl who bombed her wedding, she figured Akane might be making her lunch or dinner. With the way that situation usually goes, she wanted to be malleted on a full stomach if that happened.

Besides, she been putting off this meeting with Ukyou long enough. It was time to get it over with.

The bells jingled lightly as she opened the door, hoping her stomach would quiet long enough for her to say what she wanted to. She saw Ukyou cleaning her grill and humming happily. Looking up at the chime, her face brightened immensely.

"Ranchan! Come on in, I'm just finishing up after the lunch rush, lemme get ya some hot water, sugar!"

As she went about getting a kettle set up, Ranma calmly walked up to the counter and sat down. Looking around for a bit, she noticed a certain kunoichi wasn't around.

"Where's Konatsu? Doesn't he always help out with this stuff?"

Ukyou smiled sweetly as she handed over the kettle.

"Oh, he's out getting some things for the restaurant. I'm sure he'll be back soon. Would ya like your special?"

Ranma's stomach gurgled loudly. "I'll take that as a yes!" She threw some batter onto the grill and worked her magic, grilling up a perfect okonomiyaki just the way Ranma enjoyed it.

Ranma, now male, fidgeted a bit as Ukyou went about her business. He wasn't really certain what to say, and he didn't really want to hurt his best friends feelings, but he really needed to nip this thing in the bud.

"Hey... Uchan, we uh... We gotta talk."

The chef's mood quickly deflated as her exhuberance for okonmiyaki came to a standstill. Looking down, she shoved the doughy mixture on the grill absentmindedly.

"Oh... What about, Ran-chan?" Her attempt to be ignorant of the white elephant now in the room failed miserably as Ranma cleared his throat and gathered his courage.

"Well Ukyou, it's about what happened at the wedding. Now I understand the reasons why, but now I have to help pay for the damages to the dojo. Ya freaked out a little, don't ya think?"

Ukyou was now taking extra-care of the okonomiyaki while simultaneously thinking of how best to verbalize her apology as well. After all, a simple "Sorry, sugar. Guess I shouldn't have thrown all those bombs at your wedding..." Probably wasn't going to cut it. Though she'd have to think of something fast, as her special okonomiyaki was about to reach the peak of perfection. Her thoughts racing, she deftly flipped the okonomiyaki up and with extra flare and courtesy, placed the okonomiyaki before her star patron.

"Well... Sorry for ruinin' ya wedding, sugar... Guess I shouldn't have thrown all those bombs...huh?" Well, she gave herself a break. She wasn't all that good with her words, after all. She usually let her food speak for her.

Ranma calmly took a bite out of the offered meal. Being an okonomiyaki connoisseur, he was indeed able to tell just how much care and love had been put into this okonomiyaki. After a few more bites, he considered his words carefully.

"Eh, it was only about as psycho a move as anybody else pulled... I guess it's ok."

Ukyou attempted not to twitch at how he described her valiant attempt to rescue him from the girl that was never meant to be. Sure, her moves were drastic, but it was a very drastic situation! She'd only had ten minutes to figure out a way to stop the wedding, and the bombs were the best resource she had on hand! And besides, if the marriage had really been blessed, then why had Nabiki called everyone up to show, knowing full well just what would happen. At least, she assumed Nabiki had called everyone. She'd called her, and the wedding time cost her a pretty penny, to boot! Now, after all that, Mr. Tendou was charging her for part of the damages! Nonetheless, Ranma's remark did require a reply, and she'd been silent for sometime, now. Finally coming to a decision, she plastered a large smile on her face and raised her hands in celebration.

"Oh, I'm so glad we can get back on the right foot again, Ran-chan!"

Ranma then smirked, and tugged at his pigtail for a bit.

"Er... Yeah, about that, ya see, me an' Akane were kinda talkin' the other day, and we decided that it'd-" He was interrupted by the door chime ringing, announcing a customer. Not liking where his sentence was headed, Ukyou immediately greeted her new guest.

"Hi! Welcome to Uchans! We've got the best okonomiyaki in Tokyo! Sit a spell and tell me what ya'd like!"

Ukyou watched as the newcomer nodded and sauntered towards the counter. She wore a large denim jacket, white wife beater underneath, a pair of old jeans and a red motorcycle helmet. For some reason, Ukyou found herself incredibly interested in this stranger, unable to take her eyes off the woman. She habitually readied a glass of water and placed at a free setting as the woman sat down.

Ranma decided that although Ukyou was distracted, it would still be best to just let this out before any one came came in and became a possible victim of crossfire. If he was lucky, she was distracted enough that he could probably edge himself close enough to the door to get away by the time she realized what was said.

"So anyway, Uchan, me an' akane were talkin' an-" He was again interrupted, this time by the young woman who'd by now placed her back pack down and was taking off her helmet.

"Uchan? Don't tell me you got yourself a _boyfriend_, dear Chef..."

Ukyou then had the shock of her life as the woman revealed herself. The burgundy/orange hair, the deep green eyes. A light complexion with just enough features to show a japanese heritage. She'd know this woman, anywhere.

"M-M-Mitsune sempai! What on Earth on you doing here?" Ukyou stuttered out, too shocked to do anything but stand frozen.

Mitsune leaned back, smiling fondly.

"Old personal business. You know how it is."

Ukyou swallowed hard at this. Old personal business wasn't good.

"You don't mean Lin Su..." She noticed the slight twitch of sadness on the woman's face at the name. Silently cursing her slip-up, Ukyou pressed on. "I mean, the..." Taking a moment to remember initials best left forgotten, she carefully stated the english letters "the B... S... D. ?"

"The very same!" Mitsune's smile brightened, although it didn't really reach her eyes. "I tracked down her maker in America several months ago, and then finally found out she's been spotted lurking around Tokyo! Ya know, sugar, it's funny. She never

really was a big fan of japan. I guess she changed her mind."

Ranma was pretty curious at this point, but seeing as how his dreaded 'talk' was interupted, he opted to sit and listen for a little bit. Of course, the fact that his okonomiyaki was getting cold and needed to be eaten didn't have anything to do with it... Not at all.

Ukyou bit her lip, her shoulders slumping a little.

"So...Do ya think I'm in danger, sempai?"

This certainly perked Ranma's interest. If his best friend was in danger, he was going to be there.

Mitsune shrugged her shoulders and cocked her head to the side a bit.

"I dunno... But she's in town. I recently found out you were, too. Decided to come by and warn ya!" Her face then brightened as she became a bit playful. "And maybe get one of your 'world famous' okonomiyaki?"

Ukyou nodded and allowed herself to be taken away into her own personal world,

her thoughts racing. Ranma, however saw this as a chance to ask the newcomer what was going on.

"Hey, did you just say Uchan might be in danger? By who? Why?"

Mitsune smiled coyly as she leaned back, looking Ranma over with a critical eye.

"And you are?"

Ranma puffed up as he announced himself. "Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. Uchan's an old buddy of mine, and if something's out ta get her, I wanna know about it."

A glint formed in Mitsune's eyes as the name registered in her memory. She'd not only know that name from ukyou, but from her Great Aunt, as well. Ranma was quite well known in these parts. She tongued one of her canines before responding.

"You _really_ wanna know? I could tell you, Ranma. After all, you're no stranger to things that go bump in the night, are you? I'll bet-"

Ukyou promptly set her okonomiyaki down, garnering her attention once more.

"Like you said, sempai. It's old personal business. Ranchan doesn't need to know such things. He hasn't really SEEN anything..."

"Oh? From what I hear, he's seen a lot. Jusenkyo...the seven headed orochi... A phoenix god. I bet he could even put me down if he needed to..."

Ukyou got a little panicked as Mitsune became more and more interested in her fiance.

"Sempai, please! Just... please eat your okonomiyaki before it gets cold. I know how much you love my fresh okonomiyaki..." She said, placing her hand over Mitsune's.

At this, Mistune eased out of her dark, foreboding mood and became joyful again.

"You're absolutely right, Ukyou-kun! Hell, with a little bit of luck, no-one will even know I've ben here! No need to get others involved in my vendetta, after all!"

Ukyou sighed as her old sempai dug into her meal. Turning to Ranma, she decided it would be best to close for the day. She wuickly made her way around the counter and shoved Ranma to the door.

"Well, Ranchan, it's good to know we're square again, comeagainanytimebutIhave toclosenow,soagainthankyou,I'll talk you later! Bye!" With a final shove, Ranma was out the door, which she promptly locked and then flipped over the open sign.

Deftly turning around, she stalked back up to the counter and glared at Mitsune.

"You really shouldn't tempt Ranma like that, Mitsune!"

"Why not? Ranma Saotome is the best, right? And why did you shoo him out so fast? I really wanted to splash him!"

Ukyou rolled her eyes, murmering a quiet 'hentai' under her breath.

"And besides, dear Chef... Weren't you supposed to beat the crap out of him, anyway? Don't tell me my training was all for nothing!"

Ukyou sighed as she prepared to tell her story. It was going to be a long day.

Ranma stood outside the Ucchan's, a little put out. What was that woman talking about? And what the hell did Ukyou have to do with it? Shaking his head, he headed off to the dojo. If it was serious, he'd find out about sooner or later. He'd just have to show up again tomorrow and ask for more details. At least Akane wasn't the one in danger this time, right?

**Authors note****s**: Well, here's the first chapter. Don't worry, I'm not making Ukyou a lesbian... yet. Ok, just kidding. Maybe. Next chapter I'll probably have some flashbacks to show a bit of the history over how Ukyou and Mitsune meet. Or maybe just write out the whole back-story between them. We'll see. C & C always welcome.


	3. Chapter 2

A Fox in Wolves Clothing

Chapter 2

Ranma headed off to the Tendo's in a much worse mood than he'd been in earlier. Who was that woman, really? And what the heck is this, B S D she was hunting down? He was starting to become tired of all this chaos that seemed to surround him all the time. Actually, as he thought about it, he didn't mind. It made him better at what he did. What he was getting tired of was having his friends and loved ones get into danger. That kinda cheesed him off. And if Ukyou **might** be in danger, that meant she **was** in danger. Now she was a pretty good martial artist. Even better than Akane. But she seemed pretty scared, like that time they were hunting down that ghost at Furinkan. She'd been the first to volunteer for it, but then was nearly shaking in her boots when the time came to actually face it down. He supposed it certainly gave her credit. After all, being prepared to face something your afraid of takes a lot more guts than facing something your not. His experience with the neko-ken sure taught him that.

But if Ukyou was scared just from the mentioning of such things... Whatever it was, it must be bad. Maybe he could track down Tsubasa and ask him about it. He knew Ukyou just before she came to Nerima.

Before he could make any other information gathering plans, he was splashed. By the ladle-lady. Again.

"Ooh, sorry deary... My old eyes aren't what they used to be..." She smiled apologetically. Ranma was certain she did it on purpose. Ever since she first came here, that lady would take every chance she had to splash him. Ranma, now female, just sighed.

"It's ok, Mrs. Yamazaki. It was bound to happen some time or another..." And this is where Ranma made the mistake many people make, unknowingly and completely innocently. She opened up a conversation with an elderly woman.

"Well, I'm glad to see you looking on the positive side! Better it happen now rather than later, yes? I was just cleaning up everything for when my grand niece comes to visit tomorrow! In fact, I was hoping to maybe have someone show her around town. She's from Osaka, and has been out of the country for a while... Perhaps you or your nice friend Akane could show her around?"

Ranma fidgeted for a little while, unsure of what to say. On the one hand, she couldn't say no, as it would be terribly rude. On the other hand, Akane would flip her lid if she knew some young, possibly attractive grand niece needed to be shown around town by her fiance. Decisions, decisions...

"Er..Well, I'm sure one of us will be able to tomorrow! It IS Spring vacation, after all!"

"Oh excellent! Please come by around four o'clock. She'll be so happy to have the best martial artists in town show her around!"

Ranma smiled and nodded, quickly bowing and making her retreat before the woman wanted to speak more. The last time she'd roped her into talking, she hadn't left that woman's sidewalk for three hours!

"Yeah, sure... Anyway, I'm sure you have lots of cleaning to do, and I'm expected back at the Tendo's, so...So long!"

Breathing a sigh of relief as she exited the 'chatting/splash zone', Ranma continued on her way. Thinking to herself, she decided that something was definitely up. First a meeting of old friends at Ucchan's... Now she has to babysit someone's grand-niece for an afternoon... Unless she could get Akane to do it. She could just say she was asked to ask her. Yeah... That could work.

Happy with her new solution, she strolled through the front door of the dojo, calling out a joyful "I'm home!" as she took off her shoes. Her joy was short-lived though, as a demon-headed Soun immediately greeted her .

"_**WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT RANMA!?"**_ The large head demanded, striking a bit of fear and shock to the pseudo-girl's system.

Reflexively shifting her hands to warding signs, Ranma yelped in surprise as she reflexively backed away from the angry visage of Soun Tendo.

"I was sleepin' at the campsite! Why, whatsa matter? What'd I do!?"

Calming down and dissipating his dreaded demon head, Soun raised his fist as tears poured down his face, preparing his sad narrative.

"Last night, Akane was nearly kidnapped! She showed up this morning with ill-fitting clothes, and who knows where she was or what happened! You should have been there, Ranma!"

Ranma quickly attempted to ease the situation through conversational means so as to keep the owner of her current home in a somewhat docile mood. That being, she immediately stood face to face with Mr. Tendo, raising her left pointer finger for greater emphasis upon her words as she defended herself verbally nose to nose.

"Now how tha heck am I supposed ta protect somebody if I don't even know they're in danger? I was out trainin'! Now I'm kinda tired, and would like to take a bath and change! You and pops can berate me once he gets back!"

With that, Ranma headed upstairs to the bath, leaving a seething Soun Tendo where he stood. She sighed as she opened up the main door, taking off her clothes and throwing them to the side, she walked up to the second door leading to the bath and opened it. Too tired to be aware that another had already made their presence known by way of a handy sign stating "occupied".

An all too familiar scene awaited her. There was Akane, sitting in the bath, glaring daggers at her. Ranma immediately grimaced as Akane growled.

"GET OUT!"

Seeing a very irate Akane who not only was glowing red, which was usual for this type of situation, but also seemed to physically become larger, Ranma immediately apologized, shut the door, put all of her clothes on and headed out of the bath room. Sighing in relief that Akane didn't go critical on her cranium, Ranma decided to head to her room and read some of her old manga until Akane was out of the bath. Then, after Akane beat the crap out of her, she could relax and change forms. And maybe figure out that whole growing bigger with the aura thing. Maybe she should find her old dragon ball z mangas just to check for ideas...

"Home sweet home..." She mumbled to herself as she perused her meager selection of reading material usually reserved for when she had to meet Ryouga in a duel.

dotdotdotdotdotdotdot.

"And that's how I got a cross-dressing ninja who worships the ground I walk on..."

Mitsune smirked as she listened to the last of the tale. It was good her old sidekick was still keeping in training. She could probably do fair good bit of damage with her spatula, though she'd like to spar with her to see just how well she could handle herself. She'd have to get her weapons away for her first, of course... Then, on to hand to hand combat! Her eyes glazed over a bit as she imagined the spar, two young maidens locked in a battle of wills, trading blows, ignoring all of the rain and mud they were covered in as they passionately-

"Mitsune! Hey, I'd like to know just what YOUR story is, please!"

Shaking her head out of the delightful little place she'd gone to, Mitsune rejoined the real world and realized it was time to fill Ukyou in on everything since she'd seen her last. Cocking her head to the side in thought, she wasn't certain where to start or how in depth Ukyou would want it. After two seconds, she decided on simplicity. She didn't need to impress Ukyou, and only were-wolves like the whole "dramatic oratory" thing anyway.

"Oh, well... Nothing that much to say, really. With Lin's death, I went to her old home in America to finalize her will and used her lands as a headquarters for my quest. Travelled around a good deal, actually. America, Europe, Egypt, -the pyramids are pretty cool, by the way... Eventually I tracked down the cat that betrayed us outside of a small town in Nevada. Popped her one, right through the heart." She cocked her hand as though firing a gun for extra emphasis.

"Wait, you SHOT her?"

Mitsune was taken aback by Ukyou's reaction. Perhaps she SHOULD have gone with the dramatic oratory. Though to be honest, most of her friends in the Furies didn't think much of that, either. Oh sure, they loved how she interrogated some young vampires, and delighted in her tale of fighting off those nasty Fomori on her way to the cemetery. But she was tired! She had a gun! And a wicked cool poncho and sombrero! She thought it suited the situation quite well!

"Yeah, I shot her! I knew it was her, so I faced her and shot the Bitch! Do you actually think I was going to fully announce myself, discuss my reasons for hunting her down and have a little 'chat'? Get real! She was my enemy, not my therapist!"

Ukyou continued to look dumbstruck at her old sempai's actions. It was unthinkable! Mitsune was a god enough martial artist that she didn't need to use guns...What if she brought a gun into Japan? That would lead to trouble, for sure! And with how Mitsune could be, there could be a lot of dead-

"Oi! Ukyou-kun! It was the Wild West! I used a gun. It only seemed fitting, considering the environment, the history, my vendetta... Why, it was just like one of those old westerns! I faced her, and drew my pistol! Bam! Vengeance was mine! 'It's just been revoked', bitch!" Mitsune chuckled at her own little joke as Ukyou still stared at her with her mouth agape.

"Hey, I still gave her a proper burial and all that. Course, it did help that we were in a graveyard... And that she was standing over an open grave for some woman named Schultz... There was this nice coyote there who'd watched the entire scene. Said it was rather anti-climactic... After-all, someone from the orient executing a thief with hardly a word in? He wanted kung-fu and swarthy words exchanged... He was pretty disappointed. He was apparently looking to get a piece of her hide, as well... Meh..." She omitted the part where they 'sparred' for a bit, ignoring the fact that the coyote had needed the woman alive in order to find the location of some ancient artifact she'd stolen. But she'd beaten him down, gave him the locations of all the dead woman's fencers Mitsune knew of, and that was that.

"Any-who, I got in touch with my great-aunt, who's told me a little bit about everything that's been happening, and she was kind enough to relate to me the rumor that a very dark wolf has been seen lurking about. Apparently killed a were-rat or three and called herself Usnil... She was inquiring about Furies and what-not, which is rather unusual, since I'm the only japanese Black Fury in existence, and an adopted one at that... So I hopped on the next flight out and here I am!"

"Sempai...You didn't bring any guns, did ya sugar?"

Mitsune rolled her eyes and shook her head. Really! You shoot ONE enemy in the desert during a moment of cold, cruel calculation, and nobody forgets it!

"Get real, dear Chef. This is HER we're talking about. She may be twisted and evil... But she at least deserves a proper duel to the death ranging from one end of town to the other in a massive fit of destructive fury... And Nerima's perfect for that, right? Besides... There's a family in town that Usnil is probably keeping an eye on, just as the hengeyokai have been doing. I hear one's a very good prospect for an awakening. She's got Black Fury written all over her from what I hear..."

Ukyou was about to inquire as to just who this might be when the front door opened up and a very feminine ninja carrying a large load of supplies came through the door.

"Ukyou-sama, why was the door locked? Aren't we supposed to be open to get more customers?" The ninja asked softly as 'she' deftly shut the doors with 'her' foot. As Konatsu neared the counter, Mitsune couldn't help but eye the figure as she swayed towards the back of the restaurant.

"My, my! What a beautiful kunoichi you have, Ukyou-kun!"

Said kunoichi blushed as he put the supplies down and took a look at the flattering stranger. She felt pretty strong, and sat confidently. He found himself looking into her eyes, and found them to be a little haunted. Friendly enough, but those eyes had seen things. They were Ukyou's eyes. They were Ranma's eyes. This woman was dangerous. After a moment, he immediately realized his faux pas in direct eye contact and immediately went into service mode.

"I apologize! I hadn't realized Ukyou-sama had a guest! I'll just head into the back and stock the supplies, Ukyou-sama!" With that, he swiftly retreated into the back to perform his duties. Mitsune happily watched him leave, her eyes never leaving his feminine backside until it was hidden by the door.

"Konatsu's a guy, Sempai! You wouldn't be interested!"

"Oh, I dunno. We both know a little bit of water could change that... It could really make her day. And mine, too!"

"Sempai! You're incorrigible!"

"I know... I'm terrible. Well, I suppose I should be off. It's been a while since I slept, and it's late enough in the afternoon that a good rest will help put me on Japan's schedule!" Mitsune grabbed her helmet and headed towards the door. She stopped before exiting and placed what looked to Ukyou to be a ward of some kind on the door. She turned her head and addressed Ukyou once more.

"Seriously, though. If you see her, run. Come find me. It's not like it was in Osaka. No sentai, no butch werewolf to bail you out. Don't go to Ranma first. Find me. I'll see you around, Ukyou-kun." With that said, she finally left.

Konatsu then came out of the back, having heard every word from his vigil of eavesdropping at the door.

"Is something amiss, mistress? Are you in danger?"

Ukyou simply sighed and cleaned her grill, heavy in thought.

"Yes, Konatsu. But there's not much we can do about it. It's personal. And best if we just try to stay out of the way."

"What is the matter, Mistress? I can't help if I don't know..." Konatsu pressed the issue, but Ukyou was having none of it.

"Not right now, Konatsu. I'm heading upstairs. We're closed for the rest of the day."

"But it's only three-thirty! What of the evening rush?" Konatsu received no reply as he watched Ukyou head up to her room on the second floor. Outside, a motorcycle could be heard revving up and taking off into the distance.

dotdotdotdotdotdot.

Ukyou wasn't very pleased at her old sempai's words. As she trudged up the stairs, her mind was haunted by some of the memories Mitsune brought up. There were some fun times. Cooking for Mitsune and Lin Su. Once or twice she even got to sell okonomiyaki to Mitsune's were-creature friends, that sentai she tagged along with.

Once in her room, she locked her door and reached into her dresser, taking out an old picture she hadn't looked at since she came to Nerima. It was of her, Mitsune and Lin Su. They were all at the park, laughing at some tale Mitsune had told, no doubt. She was cooking okonomiyaki. One or two of the sentai were in the background. That nice Were-tiger woman had taken the picture. This was before all the nastiness happened. Sure, Ukyou had tagged along with Mitsune a few times on one or two little "missions". They'd been simple enough. But as time went on, Mitsune had insisted she stay behind. Ukyou hadn't, most of the time. The things she saw, had to fight off... But she'd always been willing to look into the shadows. She still was. She'd continued following when she could. Much to her sorrow, she had been there when the sentai went into those awful caves, crawling with tainted spider spirits and who knows what else.

Shaking her head, she put the photograph back where it belonged. Buried in her sock drawer. Still, the images and memories rang through her being, causing a shiver down her spine. Mitsune explained that she was supposed to have forgotten. That the veil always took hold and covered a human's memories over like a... well like a veil. But it hadn't happened for her. She was able to remember those awful things. She had fought them. She had to be saved by Mitsune, sure, but she'd been able to stand up to them. She wished she could forget. It was one of the reasons she stopped her training by the sea-side and went off to fight Ranma and his father. She'd fought hell-spawn, after all. She could very well deal with a stupid man and his son...

Ukyou sighed as she fell back on her futon, considering everything that Mitsune's presence meant in the here and now.

Now Mitsune had her eye on Ranma. That wasn't good for him. And Lin Su was here. That wasn't good for anybody. If Lin Su really had been twisted, turned evil by whatever darkness there was out in the world, everyone was in a lot of trouble. Mitsune couldn't take on Lin Su. The woman fought with a passion and beat Mitsune in every spar they had. Ukyou knew. She'd seen it. It was like Ranma fighting Mousse, or, on Mitsune's good days, Ryouga. But Lin Su always won.

Ukyou turned over and considered what assets she had to protect herself. To protect the city, even. There was the "wrecking crew" as it was infamously, if aptly named. Her, Ranma and all the others. Could they stand up to Lin Su? Even with Mitsune's help, she doubted it. Kuno might be insane enough to handle the sight of a large black monster, but could Konatsu? Or Ryouga? Nerima had plenty of ghosts and cursed objects, but she doubted anyone had seen what she'd seen. It still terrified her, whether she was able to fight the creatures or not.

Ukyou suddenly became very tired at the prospect of having to deal with the skeletons in her closet. Thinking Mitsune had the right idea in resting, she closed her eyes and tried not to think about how much money she'd lose from closing today.

dotdotdotdotdotdotdot.

Akane didn't even notice her growth spurt as she leaned back in the waters and willed herself back to a calmer state. It was one thing to feel irritated just by being back in your own home, but when your walked in on in the bath... She was _this_ close beating the crap out of Ranma. But for some reason, since he was in girl form, she let him off lightly. She had a terrible habit of beating the daylights out of him as a guy, but going a bit easier on his girl form. After thinking about it, she became concerned that perhaps the idea of treating any girl like a frail flower was ingrained in anyone! After a moment, she disagreed with that theory. Ranma was a little different as a girl, too. He'd eat ice cream for one thing, which she did find a little cute... And Ranma wasn't really a complete jerk... Even when he was a guy.

She figured it could be worse. He could be another Kuno.

She shivered at that thought. Kuno should never be thought of, especially when one was naked in the bath. Quickly banishing such things from her mind, she brought her thoughts back to the subject at hand. Just what had happened? And was it going to happen again? If she disappeared, who was kidnaping her? And why wake up in a forested park? Most importantly, should she actually ask someone for help? After thinking on it a few moments, she finally came to the decision that whatever was going on was no-one else's business. She was a martial artist, and a damn good one. Whatever it was, she could handle it on her own, and most importantly without Ranma's help!

Feeling more of her normal self and having gathered her bearings once more, she smiled and headed out of the bath, certain that whatever was going on, she could handle it. Until then, she had a perfectly nice Spring Break to enjoy! Heading back to her room, she decided to put the thoughts of her odd late night adventure out of her head and plan for the coming week.

dotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdot.

After finishing his bath and making himself presentable, Ranma awkwardly stood outside the door of Akane's room, uncertain if he should wait until tomorrow to tell her about Mrs. Yamazaki's grand-niece, or just get it over with. After thinking for a bit, he decided that it would be best to tell her now and get it over with, whether she was in a foul mood or not.

Tentatively, he tapped on the door. A muffled "come in..." came from inside and so he opened the door and announced himself.

"Hey, Akane, it's me... Jus' wanted ta, you know... 'Pologize for walkin' in on ya..." Seeing her tense up a bit at the bad memory, and probably all the ones she chose to connect it to, Ranma immediately moved on to the real point of why he came here in the first place.

"So... Yeah, anyway, ya know the ladle lady, Mrs. Yamazaki? Well, she roped me inta showing a relative of hers around town tomorrow, an' I thought it would be good if we could both show her the sites together..."

Akane slowly turned around, Ranma only hoped that she didn't take too much notice of the pronoun he'd just used. The smile on her face made him breathe out a sigh of relief.

"Sure, Ranma, that could be fun! Who is it that we'd be showing around?"

"I dunno.. her niece or somethin'. I just figured it'd be nice to sightsee, ya know?"

Akane was actually too relieved that he wasn't going to talk to her about her disapperance to even care about who it was they were showing around town. Not to mention it could be treated as a date/nondate since there would be a third wheel. Win-win!

"Great! We're supposed to show up at four... though I have ta go as Ranko..."

"Well... I guess that'll be ok." Akane's mood deflated a little at having a date/nondate with Ranma-CHAN, rather than Kun, but she'd take what she could, she supposed. At least it would help fill her week.

"Ok, great! So, uh... I'll just let ya get back to yer... sittin' about, then... Oh yeah! Before I go, you didn't get... kidnapped or anything, didja?"

Akane deflated at his comment, granting him a half-lidded stare for his ill-worded question.

"Why yes, ranma, I was captured by the great 'Spider-Queen' of Azaroth, and taken away to another dimension filled with magical kitsune and were-wolves!"

"What!? Really!? How tha heck did a tomboy like you get out of it!?"

While the rational part of Akane kenw that Ranma could be pretty stupid sometimes, even though such things could probably actually happen considering his track record, the emotional part of her brain heard both the insult to her femininity and ability to take care of herself as a martial artist. As usual, instead of allowing the rational part of her brain to talk the emotional part out of doing anything rash, Emotional simply hit autopilot.

A few moments later, as Ranma reached concsiousness, he realized he'd done something bad. Again. AS he prepared for his crash landing, Ranma could only remark to himself how nice it was to be back home. Ah, and there was the school's swimming pool, just waiting for him. Loverly.

End Chapter

Well, that's that chapter. I'd write more, but really, the day is done, and nothing's happening till the next. Hopefully once I get there, I'll have a quicker update and a bit more meat in the chapter. So far, it's all just leading up/background. Plus, if I don't end it here, it'll probably sit on my computer desktop, mocking me for another two weeks. As always, C and C is welcome.


End file.
